Hobbit House Sessions
Cape Breton-style Teaching Sessions
• Build CB tune repertoire
• Learn and apply CB style elements
• Explore CB accompaniment (esp. basslines)
WHEN:
First Sunday of each month, in-person & on Zoom, at 11am-1pm Pacific.
= 12-2pm Mountain
= 1-3pm Central
= 2-4pm Eastern
= 3-5pm Atlantic
= 7-9pm UK & Scotland
= 8-10pm Continental Europe
COST:
• Included with Patreon subscription at $10+ tiers.
• Otherwise US$10/Cdn$13 (payment options). You can pay afterwards if you're not sure you will attend.
• The Review Tutorial videos are also available from my Patreon at the $15+ tiers, or $5 per tutorial à la carte.
Next Meetings:
• Sunday May 3, 2026 (Zoom Link for May 3rd session)
• Sunday June 7, 2026
Email me if you would like to be on the notification list for future sessions or for the in-person address.
May 2026
In the May 3rd Hobbit House Session, we’ll continue learning from a track by Ashley MacIsaac (track 12 of his "fine® thank you very much" recording). First we'll review the different Cape Breton sub-styles I introduced in April (comparing John Campbell, Mary MacDonald, and Jerry Holland — all playing Alloa Kirk strathspey), and then dive into the last tune (Douglas’ Favourite hornpipe). After that we'll try applying the 3 sub-styles to the other tunes in the medley.
See April 2026 below for all tune resources for May: the PDF sheet music for these 4 tunes, including Ashley's wild-note additions in Princess Royale, tune-learning audio for Douglas' Favourite, and Ashley's whole track.
You can stream Ashley's whole recording "fine® thank you very much" at all the usual places including on YouTube. If you want to purchase this great recording, I suggest going to CranfordPub (Paul Cranford's wonderful shop in Cape Breton).
REVIEW TUTORIAL:
April 2026
Teaching Tunes (strathspey & hornpipe in G major):
Allowa Kirk strathspey (Joseph Lowe)
Douglas’ Favorite hornpipe (trad)
SHEET MUSIC
Whole set (including tunes from previous HH Sessions):
• Allowa Kirk strathspey–A John Campbell Strathspey–Jenny’s Dream hornpipe–Douglas’ Favorite hornpipe PDF
• With annotation of Ashley MacIsaac’s wild notes in Jenny’s Dream/Princess Royal PDF
For April and May’s Hobbit House Sessions, we’ll learn a track from Ashley MacIsaac’s recording "fine® thank you very much," and see what we can glean. There are 4 tunes in this medley (track 12); We'll mainly focus on the first and last tunes—how he plays Allowa Kirk strathspey and Douglas’ Favorite hornpipe. We’ve already looked at the middle 2 tunes (A John Campbell Strathspey and Jenny’s Dream/Princess Royal hornpipe) in previous HH Sessions, and this is a perfect opportunity to notice where Ashley varies the melody and adds his trademark wild flavor.
One interesting thing about this recording is that Ashley is playing both fiddle and piano parts, and they're both fantastic! He's also a great stepdancer.
We’ll start off the session on April 5th by playing through last month's big tune set:
• Willie Mitchell's Farewell to New Zealand march (Duncan Cameron)
• The Duke of Athole strathspey
• Captain Campbell strathspey
• Lady Erskine reel
• The Sound of Mull reel
TUNE-LEARNING AUDIO:
WHOLE SET AUDIO:
fiddle & piano
REVIEW TUTORIAL:
March 2026
Teaching Tune (4-part pipe march in A mixolydian):
Willie Mitchell’s Farewell to New Zealand (Duncan Cameron) PDF
SHEET MUSIC:
Willie Mitchell’s Farewell to New Zealand, by Duncan Cameron, is a wonderful pipe march. Doug MacPhee and I loved playing this tune together, often with the fiddle tuned to “high bass” (A-E-A-E).
Duncan Cameron (c1866-1948) was part of the New Zealand piping family known as “The Camerons of Mataura". There is a great biography of them at the NZ Piping Centre website (https://nzpipingcentre.org.nz/the-cameron-family).
We’ll follow Duncan’s wonderful march with some strathspeys and reels from earlier Hobbit House Sessions:
• The Duke of Athole strathspey
• Captain Campbell strathspey
• Lady Erskine reel
• The Sound of Mull reel
The audio resources for those 4 tunes are below, from Nov2023 (Duke of Athole & Sound of Mull) and Dec2023 (Capt Campbell & Lady Erskine).
Here is the sheet music for those 4 tunes on one page (PDF).
TUNE-LEARNING AUDIO:
WHOLE SET AUDIO:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
REVIEW TUTORIAL:
February 2026
SHEET MUSIC:
Teaching Tunes (2 strathspeys & 2 reels in A major/dorian/mixolydian):
Lime Hill strathspey (Dan R. MacDonald)–John Morris Ranking reel (Donny LeBlanc)–Miss Lyall strathspey (trad)–Miss Lyall reel (trad) PDF
Continuing with the set we started in January, here are two popular tunes that are played in both Cape Breton/Scottish and Irish traditions:
• Miss Lyall strathspey (trad) in A dorian, focusing on Unison Flicks (again!), Cutting Up the Tune, and Back-String Substitution.
• Miss Lyall reel (trad) in A dorian, focusing on Neutral Notes, Rhythmic Alteration, and our old favourites - the Stubby and the Pull-In Pop.
TUNE-LEARNING AUDIO:
WHOLE SET AUDIO:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
REVIEW TUTORIAL:
January 2026
SHEET MUSIC:
Teaching Tunes (2 strathspeys & 2 reels in A major/dorian/mixolydian):
Lime Hill strathspey (Dan R. MacDonald)–John Morris Ranking reel (Donny LeBlanc)–Miss Lyall strathspey (trad)–Miss Lyall reel (trad) PDF
For the first Hobbit House Session of the new year, we'll start a new set of four tunes on A—two strathspeys and two reels. These will be divided into two sets of two tunes (both strathspey-reel combos), one set for January and the other for February. In addition to the featured techniques, we'll get to see how a Strathspey-Reel pair of tunes can be expanded in the Cape Breton tradition into a longer set, with modality changes along the way.
Here are the two Strathspey-Reel sets, which we will cover as follows...
JANUARY:
• Lime Hill strathspey (Dan R. MacDonald) in A major, focusing on Fingered Slides and Unison Flicks.
• John Morris Rankin reel (Donny LeBlanc) in A mixolydian, focusing on Aftershocks and "Supercharged Pickups" (I'm looking for a better name for that last one – a modern technique that I've only recently identified!).
FEBRUARY:
• Miss Lyall strathspey (trad) in A dorian, focusing on Unison Flicks (again!), Cutting Up the Tune, and Back-String Substitution.
• Miss Lyall reel (trad) in A dorian, focusing on Neutral Notes, Rhythmic Alteration, and our old favourites - the Stubby and the Pull-In Pop.
Three of the tunes are quite popular and beloved (Lime Hill and the Miss Lyall tunes), and you very well may already know them in some form. The final tune (John Morris Rankin reel by Donny LeBlanc) is less well known, but it's quite possibly the coolest of the bunch!
TUNE-LEARNING AUDIO:
WHOLE SET AUDIO:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
REVIEW TUTORIAL:
December 2025
SHEET MUSIC: see November 2025 materials (below)
Teaching Tunes for December:
• We’ll Aye Gang Back to Yon Town reel (Alexander Walker) in G dorian
• I’ll Gang Nae Mair to Yon Town reel (James Oswald) in G major/mixolydian
This is a continuation of the set we started working on in November.
Featured Techniques for December:
• Reverse bowing (starting on an up bow)
• Straight-slur (connecting 2 notes on an up bow through the air)
• Review: Pull-ins and stubbies.
TUNE-LEARNING AUDIO:
WHOLE SET AUDIO: see November 2025 materials (below)
REVIEW TUTORIAL:
November 2025
SHEET MUSIC:
Teaching Tunes (marching air, strathspey, & 2 reels in G minor/dorian/mixolydian/major):
The British Press marching air (Alexander Walker)– Lady Augusta Gordon Lennox’s strathspey (A Walker)–We’ll Aye Gang Back to Yon Town reel (A Walker)–I’ll Gang Nae Mair to Yon Town (James Oswald) PDF
We will focus on the first 2 tunes in November session, and the last 2 tunes in the December session.
Featured Techniques for November: Subtle timing of note pairs, twiddles (warbles, flicks, and slow flicks), strong snaps on descending fifths.
TUNE-LEARNING AUDIO:
WHOLE SET AUDIO:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
REVIEW TUTORIAL:
October 2025
SHEET MUSIC:
Teaching Tunes (strathspey & reel in D major/mixolydian/dorian):
The Braes of Marr strathspey (trad Scottish/CB) & Kate Dunlay’s Reel (Theresa Morrison) PDF
Featured Techniques: Fingered Slide, Pull-In Pop.
TUNE-LEARNING AUDIO:
WHOLE SET AUDIO:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
REVIEW TUTORIAL:
September 2025
Teaching Tunes (strathspey & reel in A major/mixolydian):
604 Burnhamthorpe strathspey (Kate Dunlay) & Welcome Owen Diack reel (David Greenberg) PDF
Featured Techniques: Back-string Substitution, Aftershock, Stubby.
SHEET MUSIC:
TUNE-LEARNING AUDIO:
WHOLE SET AUDIO:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
REVIEW TUTORIAL:
May 2025
Teaching Tunes (strathspey & reel in G major):
Gin I Had a Bonny Lassie reel (trad)-Paresisl (trad) PDF
Big Set on G:
Miss Mariane Oliphant air-Stumpie strathpsey-The Highland Plaid reel-Gin I Had a Bonny Lassie reel-Paresis reel-Lord MacDonald’s reel-Jenny’s Dream hornpipe PDF (3 pages)
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
April 2025
Teaching Tunes (strathspey & reel in G major):
Stumpie strathspey (trad)-The Highland Plaid reel (trad) PDF
Big Set on G:
Miss Mariane Oliphant air-Stumpie strathpsey-The Highland Plaid reel-Gin I Had a Bonny Lassie reel-Paresis reel-Lord MacDonald’s reel-Jenny’s Dream hornpipe PDF (3 pages)
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
March 2025
Teaching Tunes (strathspey & reel in A major/mixolydian):
Keep the Country Bonny Lassie strathspey-Ann MacQuarrie’s Reel PDF (1 page)
Original settings of Keep the Country Bonny Lassie PDF (1 page)
Big Set on A:
Trip to Mabou Ridge march-Keep the Country Bonny Lassie strathspey-Calum Crubach strathspey-Muileann Dubh reel-Ann MacQuarrie’s Reel PDF (2 pages)
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
February 2025
Live sessions will resume in March 2025
January 2025
Strathspey & Reel in E-dor:
Live sessions will resume in March 2025
December 2024
Teaching Tunes (march-strathspey-reel in E dorian):
Grand Étang march-The Brig O’ Potarch strathspey-Mains of Gartly reel PDF (1 page)
The Big Set on E & G:
Grand Étang march-The Brig O’ Potarch strathspey-Bog An Lochan strathspey-Flora MacDonald reel-Prince Charlie reel-Mains of Gartly reel-Green Grow the Rushes reel-She Put Her Knee on the Old Man reel PDF (3 pages)
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
November 2024
Jig in A-dor:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle & piano
October 2024
2 Reels in D & E gapped/dorian/minor by Kate Dunlay:
Sara’s Sojourns / Dearcmhara — single-page PDF — two-page PDF with stories
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
September 2024
2 Reels in E-dor:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
August 2024
Strathspey and 2 Reels in E-dor and G:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
July 2024
Slow Air and Clog on F:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
June 2024
3 Reels on A:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
April 2024
Strathspey and 2 Reels on A:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
piano alone
March 2024
Strathspey and 2 Reels on C & Am:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
February 2024
Jigs on D:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
January 2024
This was a review session, and looked at these sets again:
• Compliments to Cameron Chisholm set
• Rodney’s Glory set
In the HH Summary video, I cover these techniques:
• Earth-and-air balance • Popped/percussive notes • Loop-into-treble bowing • Varied rhythm and slurring (for pairs of notes in a reel) • Cuttings • Drones • 4-note flourish (with rhythmic alteration) • Wild note • Back-string substitution • Transition from strathspey to reel (timing shift in footwork and body mechanics; tempo stays the same at moment of transition) • Twiddles: Pull-ins, Warbles, Flicks, Unison-flicks • Stubby-syncop combo • Drones.
…and a few Irish-style ideas for Rodney’s Glory hornpipe:
• Cross-beat slurring • Filling in the third (making a scalar triplet) • Sliding into a higher note (going up a scale) • Self-accompaniment (adding a second voice using barred notes and drones).
December 2023
Hornpipe, Strathspey, & Reel on A:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
November 2023
Strathspey & Reel on A:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
piano alone
October 2023
Jigs on F:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
piano alone
August 2023
Strathspey & Reel on G:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
piano alone
July 2023
Strathspey & 2 Reels on E:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
piano alone
June 2023
Strathspey & Reel on D:
TUNE-LEARNING:
WHOLE SET:
fiddle alone
fiddle & piano
piano alone